Second Story: In The Nick of Time

Chapter 7

30 September 2021

When Mai came to, only darkness filled her vision. She tried to look around but she had great difficulty doing so. Where was she? What had happened to her? Trying with all her might, she could barely move an inch because she was tied up. Mai was also gagged hence her voice could not come out no matter what. The poor girl was in a dark, confined space where she occasionally heard rumbling and the honking of vehicles. When she tried to sit up, her head bumped when raised by only a few centimetres.

The detective closed her eyes, inhaled, and exhaled in a rhythmic manner, and tried to figure out where she was. Using her senses, acutely augmented by the dark space and the dangerous situation she was in, it was determined that she was trapped in the trunk of a car.

When her eyes began to readjust and got used to the unwelcome darkness, she could see the variety of things that lay around her: ropes, boots, a shovel, gloves, cooling spray and even jerry cans. Her fear started to well up as she thought of the possible scenarios that would happen. She could get tied up and thrown into Red River or buried alive or stabbed to death. She wanted to scream, but she could not.

Then suddenly, the car stopped. A few moments later, some heavy footsteps could be heard, and the trunk was opened. Light flooded the cramped space, temporarily stunning the fragile princess. She could see the face of the man who had attacked her.

"Already awake?" Mr Sơn laughed. "You'll soon be able to join your ancestors."

Mai was dragged into another abandoned warehouse, presumably in the Long Biên District because she was able to catch a brief glimpse of Red River. Mai then set her eyes on the car and realised in horror that it was that very grey car, with the identical licence plate. As the rusty doors gave away and made an unbearable loud creak, revealing the inside of the dilapidated building, Mai consciously turned her eyes around without alerting the culprit. Nothing. There were no tools that could help her escape. Despair began to overcome her as she thought about her family and her friends. How would they react to the news that she was murdered, by the man she completely trusted? There would be no more time loops. She would die for real this time.

The girl was then violently thrown into a neglected well after being ungagged and untied. The oversized drain covered slammed against the mouth of the well, making a large sound that shattered the last bit of the princess' resistance.

"How was it? Your little foolish detective game?" asked the middle-aged man.

"Let me out! Let me out! Why are you doing this?"

"I can tell you why but you won't understand... You were dangerously treading on thin ice, foiling my plans one by one. I noticed that you were snooping around 'H-A' and stalking that girl. My suspicions were only confirmed when I saw you that night and you alerted the entire neighbourhood. Good job, detective. Want a cookie?"

"Just let me go! You sick b-----d!"

"No, you've seen everything. I have to make sure that you'll never leave here alive."

"If that's the case, I swear I'll see you in hell too!"

When Mr Sơn heard this, he let out a burst of laughter that terrified Mai and would shake anyone who had heard it to the core. His mad smile slowly crept across his face while his lifeless eyes glinted in the dark warehouse.

"How interesting! I'd love to see you try... after I get out of here scot-free! And your stupid university friend, she fell into my trap twice already, but you just had to stick your nose where it doesn't belong. She would have been my perfect sacrifice! Fine then, I'll let you in on a secret: this warehouse was built by the French during colonial times as a mortuary. And that well was where they dumped in bodies of political prisoners. They also made in a torture chamber such that water would flow in... It's pouring heavily outside, and you understand what that means, right?"